Breaking in new tall boots?

[KFC1177]

I just got my first pair of tall boots!

The excitement was quickly overcome with pain.

Please give me your tips for breaking in the new boots, what do you do that has worked.

Thanks in advance,

[yellowbritches]

Get some Vogel boot creme or Lexol conditioner and work it into the INSIDE of the boots. Wear them.

[slp2]

I feel your pain (literally). I just bought new boots too. They gave me little heel raiser things to put inside the boots. They were $10--but worth it. They do help prevent the backs of my knees from ending up bloody. Also, someone told me to apply Lexol liberally to the inside of the boots in the ankle area. I did that last night. I hope it helps!

[Hunter Mom]

Wear them at home, for as long as you can bear. Wear heavy socks while you do it to help keep them from rubbing. Put lexol or oil/conditioner of some kind on them (inside and out if possible) before you wear them.

I had one pair that I couldn't bear to wear so I sat down and sprayed them and then flipped them back & forth at the ankle while watching a movie (spray, flip, flip, flip, flip, switch...) which really helped break the ankle in.

[RiverBendPol]

Choose a day when you can do what you want, ie not go to the office from 9-5. Get up in the morning, put on your breeches, whatever socks you want to be the ones you wear with the boots, put on the boots and dunk your legs, feet-knees, into a hot-tub or bath tub of warm-hot water. Dunk does not mean soak. Just long enough to feel the wet inside the boots. Walk around in the house with them on UNTIL THEY ARE DRY, which basically means all day. Around lunch time, rub Kocholine into them. Spend some time sitting in a chair so shins, ankles and knees are at right angles to each other. This is THE BEST system but you must be brave and patient. Do NOT take the boots off before they are dry and do NOT skip the Kocholine.

[snoopy]

Choose a day when you can do what you want, ie not go to the office from 9-5. Get up in the morning, put on your breeches, whatever socks you want to be the ones you wear with the boots, put on the boots and dunk your legs, feet-knees, into a hot-tub or bath tub of warm-hot water. Dunk does not mean soak. Just long enough to feel the wet inside the boots. Walk around in the house with them on UNTIL THEY ARE DRY, which basically means all day. Around lunch time, rub Kocholine into them. Spend some time sitting in a chair so shins, ankles and knees are at right angles to each other. This is THE BEST system but you must be brave and patient. Do NOT take the boots off before they are dry and do NOT skip the Kocholine.


:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes:

I know it is hard for some to put faith in this alarming process but it WORKS!

[SevenDogs]

This won't help break the boots in but will help with the pain. There are band-aids that are basically 2" x 2" gauze pads with the band-aid stickum around all four sides. These work great (and stay on while you ride!) for sore heels and the backs of your knees (until the boot breaks down a bit). Won't put on a new pair of boots without them!

[Sebastian]

This won't help break the boots in but will help with the pain. There are band-aids that are basically 2" x 2" gauze pads with the band-aid stickum around all four sides. These work great (and stay on while you ride!) for sore heels and the backs of your knees (until the boot breaks down a bit). Won't put on a new pair of boots without them!

Yup. And even better -- MOLE SKIN!!!

You can get it in the "foot" section of any drugstore.

Seb :)

[canterlope]

Ditto to what RBP said with one additional suggestion. You might want to make sure someone will be around once the boots are dry to help you get them off should they prove to be a challenge in this regard. I've used this method to break in every pair of tall boots I've owned and never had a problem getting them off after they dried except for one pair. Of course I was alone and they were stuck on like they were glued. I ended up having to drive to a friend's house and it took all of our combined strength to get those bad boys off.

[Hilary]

and for those of us without the intestinal fortitude to get your $$$$ custom leather boots all wet (or time to spend a day in one's boots), put them on every day for a few minutes and do not walk around in them (they are riding boots, not walking around boots) and take them off. When you can tolerate them long enough, go ride in them. Vogel cream or bootstrech spray on the ankles if they are excruciatingly tight.

I did the slow version and my boots still look like dressage boots and are incredibly comfortable 11 years down the road. I am very careful with them though and don't get them wet unless it pours while I"m riding and don't walk around in them (even though they are comfortable enough to do so).

I have a second pair I got from Ebay (custom for someone else) that I don't worry about and do all the bad things like walk XC in the wet grass and bathe the horse and they do show the wear, but have still held up really well.

[RiverBendPol]

You better give us a full report on your day.:cool:Also, how are the eyeballs?:winkgrin:

[sch1star]

OK, it's time for me to get out of my Futis in the D ring and retire the field boots I've had since I was 16 (that have absolutely no tread, which could be fixed, but the hole they leave in my left heel every time I wear them...not so much fixable. The feets are bigger now!).

I have "new" boots bought a couple years ago but - oh, the pain! - never broken in. I'm going to order the heel risers and the Kocholine, and what I want to know...just for fair expectation...this method of yours, Pol...is it all over when it's over? Or does it require repeating??

And does anyone think I can use this to convince the hubby to install an outdoor hot tub? :winkgrin:

[RiverBendPol]

Yes, it is over when it is over, unless you gain or lose copious amounts of calf weight. My new zipper Ariat field boots would zip up, with enormous amounts of strength applied and then within 3 minutes, my feet would go numb. I dunked and Kocholined and wore them till dry. That day, they became and they are now, 3 years later, custom boots. Remember, leather boots were once hide, used to keep animals warm and dry, even when wet.

It is a great excuse for a hot tub, except that for this purpose you'll only use it once! :cool:

[Hilary]

You're gonna have to do this b/c I am going to take the futis (and those boots) away from you. I've been cajoling you for 7 years now. Time for serious action.

[sch1star]

What are friends for after all? :D I'm blessed!

I kept waking up last night because of banging the giant, itchy blister from putting those boots on Sunday and wearing them for all of two hours. With the futis. For dressage...

:eek:

[Liebe-ist-Krieg]

[QUOTE=RiverBendPol;4008925]I dunked and Kocholined and wore them till dry. That day, they became and they are now, 3 years later, custom boots. QUOTE]
Would this help at all kind of shrinking up already broken in boots? I have some Ariat Heritage Boots that are pretty loose around the ankle and I'm brave enought to experiment with them lol

[eventerwannabe]

I second, third, or fourth the bathtub method. It sounds weird but it works!!!!! And you don't have to deal with the bloody ankles.:no:

[lucky bunny]

Will the bathtub method work on used boots?

I'm considering buying some used boots. One pair is slightly too large in the calf and the other is a little snug.

Does the tub soak make the boots slightly smaller or will the leather stretch in the places where I need?

thanks

[Romany]

On the Big Soaking Day, poke your toes through the bottom corner of a plastic grocery bag, which will then tastefully envelope your leg, so that when you pull the boot on, it will slip on with ease, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, when you pull the boot off, it will likewise slip off with ease.

Instead of doing The Big Soak, I bought a 1l bottle of boot stretcher spray and liberally sprayed the inside of the boots before pulling them on. It helped to soften the leather while forming it to my leg, worked more quickly than just water, and I wafted around the barn in a heady ethanol haze while it worked its magic and evaporated. :lol:

If you do it in colder weather, your feet will be smaller, so do put on an extra pair of socks to compensate for warmer fatter days.

[shamrocker]

Coming from a dressage background where stiff boots are the norm, I can give advice from breaking in a pair of stiff Konigs.

Buy a pair of heel lifts! Also buy some boot slip on spray. Ride in them, and you will forget about the pain. I bought a pair of Sergio Grasso recently on a serious deal, I paid $200.00 for a new pair, these boots seem to need no break in. What a joy! Good Luck. :)

[LR1976]

OK. Just got out of the bathtub with my boots on! This had better be worth it. Eewww! :p

[LR1976]

By the way, how can this possibly be good for your legs??? Again... EEWWW! :p

[Saskatoonian]

don't order heel lifts, SCH - you can have mine. Haven't used them in awhile, and finally jumped yesterday in the new dehners. Guess I'm good to go! (No, I did NOT get in the tub with them.)

[cheval80]

I wouldn't apply lexol on boots very often. I think it softens them up too much and will cause them to drop down too much over time. You can vetrap a couple of gauze pads on the back of your knees to keep the boots from rubbing your skin raw until the boots begin to drop.

[snoopy]

I would just like to put out that one needs to buy boots that fit them properly...all the bath water, lotions and potions will not go too far in getting boots to fit properly. A well fitted boot should not drop more that a half an inch. I see people buying boots that are just too tall for them. Boots with too much drop are just as painful, the creases rub something terrible. Depending on the stiffness of the lining..eg, full line, half line etc, should only show one crease for maximum comfort. I am in the camp that has to have boots with a zipper because of the shape of my leg. A zippered boot is tighter in the ankle which prevents too much drop. When you buy either off the peg or made to measure zippered boots make sure that you do not get them too tall as they are not supposed to drop that much. Boots without zips are bigger in the ankle for a reason...you need the room to get the foot through and the bigger the ankle area the more likely the drop happens.

Tall boots are made of RIDING...not walking around in. Over use of your boots cause too much drop and wear on the stiching around the ankle. They are not designed for use as walking shoes. I find boots with numerous creases UGLY.

[wildlifer]

Thumbs up for the bathtub methods -- I was talked into trying it by a friend and it works PERFECTLY and doesn't hurt your boots. Water does not kill leather, even leather that you paid too much money for. I wore them till they dried and never had a problem. I put in some cheap heel-only insoles from the drug store till they dropped and voila -- perfect boots.

[Hilary]

Tall boots are made of RIDING...not walking around in. Over use of your boots cause too much drop and wear on the stiching around the ankle. They are not designed for use as walking shoes.

This is why I don't QUITE get the bathtub method. Because it means you walk around in the boots all day.

When I got my custom Dehners the person who measured me helped me get into them the first time - took 10 minutes per boot. And we had to take them off within seconds to make sure my legs didn't swell too much and get stuck! I freaked out that they would never fit. They are dress boots with no zipper. And I have "barbie doll" feet with arches you can drive a truck into. (4" heels? no problem! Dress boots? Well....)

She said to break them in I need to ride in them "because they are riding boots, not walking around the house boots". And only riding will make the crease perfect. I was to put the boots on for mere minutes per day, and work up to riding in them (on a calm horse b/c really, you aren't riding since you can't bend your legs!)

This worked, but it took a couple of months total. My boots fit perfectly, and I have one crease in the right place. No wrinkly ankles. So maybe the tradeoff is that you spend 1 day and you get pretty good crease/ankles and quickly comfortable.

[snoopy]

I endorse the bath tub method as a means to "start" the process in the right direction. One day of walking around is not the same as constantly walking around in them day in and day out. The bathtube method introduces the leather to the fit of your leg as well as where the ankle flexes. The moisture from the water helps soften the leather so that it is easier to stretch and then dry to the shape of your leg.

[LR1976]

Well, these boots that I soaked this morning are the ones I fought with all last year. It was try this or get a different pair of boots. I'm not spending another season with numb feet! It's not the ankles that needed breaking in, it's the calves. They just wouldn't soften up. All I have to say is that this WORKS! YEAH for the bathtub method. And I do agree, maybe not the best idea but for me it was a last resort! :)

[Hilary]

Ah, got it. My boot person is a perfectionist and does not endorse shortcuts whether for horses or boots.

I admit to cheating with my horse's monster mane, but went with her program for boots!

[snoopy]

Well, these boots that I soaked this morning are the ones I fought with all last year. It was try this or get a different pair of boots. I'm not spending another season with numb feet! It's not the ankles that needed breaking in, it's the calves. They just wouldn't soften up. All I have to say is that this WORKS! YEAH for the bathtub method. And I do agree, maybe not the best idea but for me it was a last resort! :)


Good for you. When the dry, condition. Do not over condition or oil as it breaks down the stitching. Infact Neetsfoot is not allowed in my barn or on my leather....ever.

[Hotspur]

I give high marks to the "bathtub" method. I came to this in a somewhat unusual way. I was wearing a fairly new pair of expensive boots, that were anything but broken in, during a cross country lesson a couple of years ago.

I came off into a water jump, receiving high marks for my entry and even higher marks for my hilarious and bedraggled exit from the water, sans horse of course. He stood on the bank eating grass and was heard giggling.

I was fully soaked and my new boots were full. I thought they were ruined. I brought them home, dryed them slowly with cedar shoe trees and boot trees, and oiled carefully. The results were a miracle and I just love those boots now.

[shamrocker]

FYI heel lifts do not have to be ordered, you can buy them from a local cobbler or you may even find them at CVS etc.

Another must for tall boots is a good boot jack. I bought a metal one. I highly recommend these, I have cracked many wood jacks including B of B's top of the line one. I got a good metal one from Dressage extensions. It was not too expensive.

I am totally leary about this bathtub method everyone is describing. I've never had to do this and believe me, dressage boots are the WORST to break in.
:)

[UNCeventer]

maybe a silly question, but what is Kocholine and where does one find it?

[RiverBendPol]

Kocholine is a wonderful saddle/leather softener. It is reddish, goopy stuff, rubs in really well and is my personal fave for restoring old or tired leather or tack that has been out eventing in the rain and needs a pick-me-up and a day off. I slather it on, rub it in really well and let the tack rest for a day or 2 and voila`, good as new. Kocholine does NOT harm stitching and protects against mildew and mold so it is great to use before storing stuff. It also can be rubbed onto metal to prevent rusting! (I should write ad copy, eh?) I got my last can from Bit of Britain's trailer, it was $4.75 or so. Shop around, don't pay $12, although it does last forever and is well worth the $$.
http://www.bobmicklers.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=93-4028!TOK

[tss]

This thread is pretty old, but I hope someone will reply! I just bought tall Ariat boots and want to break them in by Thursday. Am willing to try the soak-and-wear process, but I don't have the kockoline. Will Bick 4 do the same thing? It is a leather conditioner the store sold me with my boots. Is there another product other than Kocholine I could use?

Also, when they are dry, do I rub the leather softener on both the outside and inside? Thanks!

[ltmac]

Choose a day when you can do what you want, ie not go to the office from 9-5. Get up in the morning, put on your breeches, whatever socks you want to be the ones you wear with the boots, put on the boots and dunk your legs, feet-knees, into a hot-tub or bath tub of warm-hot water. Dunk does not mean soak. Just long enough to feel the wet inside the boots. Walk around in the house with them on UNTIL THEY ARE DRY, which basically means all day. Around lunch time, rub Kocholine into them. Spend some time sitting in a chair so shins, ankles and knees are at right angles to each other. This is THE BEST system but you must be brave and patient. Do NOT take the boots off before they are dry and do NOT skip the Kocholine.

Absolutely!

[Voldemare]

There is a product called Equi Fit Gel Bands which I highly recommend for breaking in tall boots without the bathtub soaking. They look like a section of ace bandage; they slip over your foot and encircle your ankle/lower shin. The inner layer is a gel cushion that releases a small amount of mineral oil onto your skin. The bands are washable and reusable. Would be great for ski boots, ice skates, etc. They're around $25.
tss, I hope your boots feel better on you today!

[x.Eventing.x]

I am breaking in brand new Ariat's myself. I got four blisters on ONE heel. One of them cut into my skin and peeled back. It hurts like crazzzyyy. Try putting band-aids all over your heel and wear thick socks.

[wildlifer]

Heel lifts and WATER. Seriously, cows are waterproof. Water does not make them dissolve and melt and fall apart. Neither will it harm your boots -- do they dissolve and fall off when you ride through the water jump or get rained on? No, no they do not. Soak them good, wear them all day and you can avoid all the blister and pain silliness!

ETA -- Ooops, just saw OP was from 2009. My bad.